TOYOTA FORTUNER ENGINE BAY CLEANING

You like having your car clean on the outside. But how often do you consider cleaning the parts under the hood? Your engine bay can also accumulate a lot of dirt from your everyday driving, so it needs as much care as the exterior. If not taken care of properly, the accumulated dirt could get in the moving pieces and disrupt your smooth ride. That would only mean more work and even future repair costs if any case something bad would occur. Check out my do-it-yourself Video guide to doing this task correctly and safely.

Step 1: Ready your tools and safety gear

Just make sure to ready the tools that you’ll need on a tray so you won’t have to go back and forth when you need to loosen or tighten any screws.

Step 2: Let the engine cool down 

Before attempting to do anything to the engine, make sure that it’s cool first to avoid burning your hands. Even if you can open the hood while the engine is hot, you also risk burning your face when the hot fumes escape the engine compartment. We advise you to clean the engine bay early in the morning just before your usual daily activities. The engine will most likely be cool if it rested overnight. If you have to do it after using the vehicle, wait for a few hours or until you can comfortably touch the hood with your palm.

Step 3: Lift the hood up

Once the engine has cooled down, you should be able to lift the hood up without too much trouble. The main components of the engine should also be exposed to you. Make sure that all the liquid reservoirs in your engine are all sealed with their caps tight shut. Inspect the brake fluid, the power-steering fluid, and the coolant. Cleaning the engine bay will require you to use a cleaning solution as well as water. Making sure that the reservoirs are shut tight will prevent water and other external elements from seeping into them. If water or a cleaning solution mixes with the coolant or oil fluid, you may end up damaging the sensitive parts of your engine.

Step 4: Ensure your safety first

 After you seal all the reservoirs, the next step will be to disconnect the battery. This will prevent you from being in an electrical accident just in case you get the wrong parts wet. Simply disconnect the battery by disconnecting the negative side first and then unclipping the positive next. For a more thorough clean, remove the battery completely. You might also want to cover the electrical parts of your engine with plastic to protect against contact with water. Cover the spark plugs, the coil packs, the distributor cap, all the filters, and the alternator. 

Step 5: Start the cleaning process 

Use your paintbrush and try to loosen any debris and dust that has accumulated on the surface of your engine. Clean the dirt up using a vacuum so it doesn’t spread to other areas of your engine. Do this to the entire compartment, except the areas that you covered. Use different-sized brushes that you have to get into the small spaces and crevices. Remember to keep vacuuming the dirt and debris.

Step 6: Give your engine bay a wipe-down 

Once you’re done, use your microfiber towel to get rid of excess water on your engine bay. Once it’s dry, you can remove the tape and plastic covers you used on the electric parts. You can reconnect the battery, and then you’re good to go.

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